Selector means for phonograph and picture projectors



NOV. 23, 1954 J GlLBERT 2,694,958

SELECTOR MEANS FOR PHONOGRAPH AND PICTURE PROJECTORS Filed April 2, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. 2

Jack Gflberz,

- INVENTOR,

A TTOR NE Y,

J. GILBERT Nov. 23, 1954 SELECTOR MEANS FOR PHONOGRAPH AND PICTURE PROJECTORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2, 1953 Jack i/beri INVENTOR,

Fig. 5

A TTORNEY.

Nov. 23, 1954 SELECTOR MEANS Filed April 2, 1953 J. GILBERT 2,694,958

FOR PHONOGRAPH AND PICTURE PROJECTORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jack Gi/berz,

INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY,

States Patent Ofiice 2,694,958 Patented Nov. 23, 1954 SELECTSR MEANS FGR PHONOGRAPH AND PIQTURE PRGJECTORS Jack Giihert, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Bernard Sega], New York, N. Y.

Appiieation April 2, 1953, Serial N 346,371 6 Claims. (Cl. 88-27) The present invention relates to a phonograph device aifording the selection of pieces to be played one at a time, by a simple manipulation of a novel and improved selector mechanism and if desired, can have associate-cl means to exhibit a picture or other indicia related to the subject matter of the piece being played. This apparatus may serve as an educational toy or as a miniature juke box. These are mentioned as examples of the application of this invention.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved phonograph device offering a plurality of separate sound tracks and mechanism to select the sound track to be played.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel and improved means for selecting the piece to be played and for operating the phonograph during a prescribed interval so that proper sound track speed is attained before the needle of the sound arm is set into a sound track and to cease operation when the selected piece is finished playing.

Another obiect of this invention is to provide novel and improved selector means in an apparatus of the character described, which simultaneously chooses the sound track to be played and a related picture or other indicia for exhibition.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the nature set forth, of novel and improved construction, presenting a knob or handle which is easily turned and set to accomplish selection of the piece to be played, and thereupon the apparatus operates automatically and of itself ceases its operation when the selected piece has completed playing.

Still a further object hereof is to provide a novel and improved apparatus of the type mentioned which is easy to use, which affords easy change of phonograph record means and matter for exhibition and which is r eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of an apparatus embodying the teachings of this invention.

I Figl. 2 is an enlarged section taken at lines 2-2 in Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the phonograph device and selector mechanism included in the embodiment illustrated. Here a disc record is used.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing use of a cylindrical record for a modified construction.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical wiring system employed in the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a face view of a picture wheel which may be used herein.

Fig. 7 is a face view of an indicator disc included herein.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a modified construction where a picture band is used instead of the a orementioned picture wheel.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary pictorial view of a segment of the disc record employed herein.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the electrical switch means and its associated mechanism; the switch is here shown in closed condition.

Fig. 11 is similar to Fig. 10, but the switch means is shown in open condition.

In the drawings, the numeral 15 designates a horizontally positioned turntable whose shaft 16 carries the gear 17 which is driven by the wormwheel 18 on the shaft 19 of an electric motor 20 mounted on raised floor 21 which is over the base 22 of the outer casing 23. Said shaft 16 is journalled in the bearing member 24 which is mounted on the motor body. Said turntable 15 carries the disc phonograph record 25 which has thereon a plurality of concentric separate sound tracks, each occupying a circular ring lane and each of said sound tracks terminating in a comparatively deepened circular groove as 26 as the inner boundary of such ring lane. Each sound track 27 is a spiral. The lanes are indicated as for instance shown at a, b and c.

The numeral 28 denotes a usual phonograph horn with a reproducing diaphragm (not shown) and associated stylus or needle 29. This structure is mounted on a swingable arm 39 above the turntable 15; the axis of ch swinging movement being about the horizontal -::is 31 on the axially rotatably mounted tubular post 32. This post or vertical shaft is journalled on the bearing biock 33 which is mounted atop the raised floor member 21. This block presents an overhanging shelf 33' having an upward boss 34 to serve as the bearing for said tubular shaft 32 which latter, below said shelf, carries the gear wheel 35, and above said boss, the collar 36 so that said shaft 32 has no longitudinal movement. The mentioned arm is on the clevis 37 atop said shaft 32 and extends over and across the open top end of said shaft; the axis 31 being off the center of said shaft and towards the turntable 15, and also intermediate the ends of the arm 30.

The block 33 serves as the bearing for the parallel shafts 38 and 39 which extend in the direction from the front towards the rear wall 40 of the casing 23. The shaft 33 is tubular and is journalled by means of the gear 41 and the collar 42 thereon. The shaft 39 is iournalled by means of the gear 43 and the worm wheel 44 which it carries. Gears 41 and 43 are in engagement and the worm wheel 44 is in engagement with the gear wheel 35 which is on the tubular shaft 32. Through the tubular shaft 38, is a manually operated selector shaft 45 which extends forwardly through the front wall 46 of the casing 23, and outward of the rear end of the hollow shaft 38. This shaft 45 is longitudinally slidable a predetermined scope of movement as allowed by the slot 47 and the key pin 48 which slidably keys the said shaft 45 with the tubular shaft 38. Evidently, both shafts 45 and 38 will rotate together, and upon rotation of the selector shaft 45 by means of its handle 49. the upright tubular shaft 32 will be rotated thereby shifting the phonograph needle 29 to any lane on the record determined by an indexing means which may comprise a sort of crown gear 50 fixed on the front face of the casing 23, for cooperation with an index pin 51 on the handle 49; the selector shaft 45 being positioned throu h the center of said crown. The extent of possible longitudinal movement of the selector shaft 45 forwardly is made sufficient that the index pin 51 may clear the teeth of the crown 50. The spacing of the teeth of the crown and the gear ratios shall be so chosen that the needle 29 shall be at the starting groove of a sound track at each en aged position of the index pin 51; each position on the crown being for a different sound track on the record 25.

A tension coil spring 52 is provided to urge the needle 29 away from the center of the record 25, but the stren th of such spring is weak enough not to pull the needle out of engagement with a sound track line. Also, the gearing is so arranged that there is sufiicient play therein to permit the tubular shaft 32 to turn a sufiicient arcnal distance so that the needle 29 is free to travel at least across a lane a on the record 25: each lane comprising a spiral sound track 27 whose inward turn ends in is communicative with a relatively deep circular groove 26; the center of each spiral sound track and its inward circular groove being that of the disc record 25. The required sidewise swing of the member 3i) can also be accomplished by providing play at the axis pin 31 by having it loose in the holes there- .for in the clevis 37.

and another such strip 56 on the arm 30; both said strips being electrically insulated from their mountings. Such strips are out of contact when the needle 29 is in any of the circular grooves 26, but are so formed and tensed that they shall remain in contact while the needle is anywhere else in the sound track spiral of any of the lanes as a and also when the needle is raised out of a terminal groove 26; such contact being then effected by action of the spring 52.

It is recognized that to facilitate the opening of the switch 57, the last few turns of the track should be silent lines so that after the actual sound producing portion of the track is played, the needle may still move a short distance towards the center of the record 25 before entering the deep circular groove 26 of the particular lane, in order to give the switch a chance to open after completion of the sound transcription of the sound yielding portion of the spiral track. It is to be noted that while the device is at rest in non-use condition, the needle 29 is engaged in a deep groove as 26 and of course, the switch 57 is open.

The rearward end of the selector shaft 45 and a crank member 58 on the rotatably mounted shaft 59, are connected by a string-like member 60 which permits turning of said shaft 45 without pull on said crank. A bead chain is suitable for such purpose and such is shown used herein. Shaft 59 is through the bearing block 61, and carries another crank 62 which extends to the region directly below the lower end of the vertical hollow shaft 32. A head chain or other string-like member positioned loose through said hollow shaft, is denoted by the numeral 63 and same is connected to the forward end of the crank 62 and to the bar 3%) so that upon pulling shaft 45 forward, bar 30 will swing to raise the phonograph appurtenances including the needle 25. As soon as the needle leaves the record 25, spring 52 will cause movement of the bar 30 and thereupon the switch elements 55, 56 will be in contact and the motor 20 will operate.

As mentioned, at rest non-use condition, the needle 29 is engaged in a groove 26 and the switch 57 is open. Also note that when so at rest, the selector shaft 45 is inward so that index pin 51 on the handle 49, is in engagement with the crown 56 at a particular station thereon determining the sound track lane in whose groove 26 the phonograph needle is engaged.

To operate the device, the selector shaft 45 is slid forward by pulling on the handle 49. When the index pin 51 is clear of the crown 54), pin 48 hits up against the rear end of the keyway 47 and no further forward movement of the selector shaft is possible. Such forward movement of the selector shaft has caused the crankshaft 62 to turn a part of a revolution sufiicient to cause the forward end of the crank 62 to pull downwardly on the bead chain 63 thereby lifting the needle 29 out of a groove 26 and off the record. Spring 52 will cause arm 30 to move whereupon the switch 57 becomes closed and motor 26 will turn when of course the turntable 15 and the record thereon will rotate. The motor and hence the record 25 will attain full speed while handle 49 is manipulated to turn the shaft 45 until the index pin 51 is in front of the crown 50 at a selected position determining the record lane to be played. Now the handle 49 is pushed in so that its index pin 51 engages the crown. The resulting rearward shift of the shaft -45, will loosen chain 60, whereupon the mass of the horn 28 and all it carries will cause it to fall. The needle 29 will enter the outermost (starting) turn of the sound track chosen and the phonograph will play. When the needle finally reaches the groove 26 (the end) turn of the chosen lane, the switch 57 will open and the motor will stop. The needle is engaged in groove 26 and the apparatus is now ready for another selection to be made. It is to be noted that when the needle 29 lowered onto the record 25, chain 63 was automatically pulled upwardly thereby restoring chain 60 to taut condition.

If desired, there may be included some means to exhibit a picture or other insignia related to the record lane being played. This may consist of a magic lantern whose slide is a picture wheel 65 rotatably mounted between the lens piece 66 and a shielded electric bulb 67. The screen may be a frosted glass pane 68 across a window in the front of the casing 23 which may be provided with a magnifying glass 69 to enlarge the projected image. Said bulb 67 is connected in parallel with the motor Ztl, so that it shall be lit while current is being supplied to the motor. The picture wheel 65, along a large circular lane thereon, has the equi-spaced film or picture slide elements 70, of a nature related to the sound lanes subject matter, respectively, and in such sequence as to correspond to the showings or markings on index disc 53 with which it turns in synchronism by belt 71 on pulleys 72 and 73. The pulley 72 is on shaft 3?. The pulley 73 is centrally secured on the picture disc 65. The diameters of said pulleys are such that the speed of rotation of the picture wheel 65 shall be equal to that of the selector shaft 45. The source of current to operate the motor Ztl and the lamp 67 may be by plug-in to the house power line, or by batteries 74 which may be in any suitable manner detachably set on the shelf 75 without obstructing the lens piece 66. The picture wheel 65 is preferably mounted for rotation about the axis 76 offered by the bearing block 77 on said shelf 75;

Of course, it is desirable to have diiferent records 25 and respectively associated picture wheels as 65 and index indicator discs as 53, which may be stored in sets in separate envelopes, ready for use with this apparatus. The back panel 40 of the casing 23, is removable to allow the removal of the picture wheel and phonegraph record, which may be replaced with others of a different set. The disc of the type 53 is replaceable through the opening 78 in the floor panel of the cabinet; said disc being provided with a radial slot 79 whose sides frictionally engage the notches 80 in the selector shaft 45. It is evident that the position of said slot in relation to the indicia on said disc 53 and the positioning of the associated picture wheel 65 on axis 76 and the positioning of said disc on the selector shaft 45, shall be such as to accomplish the required synchronous movements, as explained, is required.

Instead of the use of a magic lantern device, the picture wheel may be part of the index indicator disc 53, and if desired, may just have the pictures 70 thereon, to be directly viewed through a suitable window (not shown) in which instance, in place of 53, the color, symbol or picture disc 82 would be used and such disc would be of large enough diameter that the visible picture thereon is of appreciable size.

Also to be noted is, that this apparatus may be designed for use with a cylindrical record 85 as shown in Fig. 4, and if desired, the picture disc 65 may be replaced by a picture band wound on rollers 87, 88 which are on a frame 86 and said rollers are connected by the belt 89 to be driven in any suitable manner (not shown) from shaft 39.

Various examples of use of this apparatus will now be given. For instance, the record 25 may have in its lanes the respective sound tracks of the songs America, Dixie Land, White Christmas," etc., or to such extent, as to comprise a popular passage of each, as the length of sound track in the respective lanes on the record will permit. The pictures on the related picture wheel 65 for such specifically mentioned songs, may respectively be a representation of a child saluting the flag, a representation of a pair of Negro boys in dancing pose, and a representation of a winter scene, etc. The index disc 53 may have numerals, letters or other system of markings.

Then, for instance a record 25 may have in its lanes the respective sound tracks of a spoken passage by various persons respectively, as for instance, Four score and seven years ago, To be or not to be etc. For such, the pictures on the related picture Wheel 65 would appropriately be of Lincoln, Hamlet, etc., and the notations on the index disc 53 might either be the name of the person, or other suitable notation.

Then for instance, to teach a child the sound of the letters of the alphabet, or the sound of words, the record sound tracks a, the picture wheel representations 70 and the notations on the related index disc 53, are made appropriate for such purpose.

For use as a simple toy, minus the magic lantern feature, though picture wheel 82 may be used, the turntable may be turned by hand by a crank (not shown) on shaft 19, thus obviating the motor 20. In such instance, said shaft would be extended through the front wall of the casing 23 to have the crank accessible.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotatably mounted phonograph record having a sound track in each of a plurality of lanes thereon, phonograph sound-producing means including a stylus adapted to engage a sound track, a vertically positioned rotatably mounted hollow shaft; said means being swingably mounted on said hollow shaft and extending therefrom whereby the stylus is over the record; said means having an element extending over the top end of said hollow shaft; the axis of swing of said means being horizontal and spaced from the axis of said hollow shaft, whereby on rotary movement of said hollow shaft, said means is carried along therewith so that the stylus moves across the lanes of the record and upon movement of said means about its axis of swing, the stylus is raised from or lowered onto the record, a horizontally positinned, slidably mounted rotatable selector shaft, means on both said shafts whereby the hollow shaft is rotated upon rotation of the selector shaft, a rotatably mounted shaft having two cranks thereon, means linking one of said cranks to the selector shaft whereby said crank shaft is rotated upon sliding the selector shaft in one direc tion; the second crank extending below the hollow shaft and an elongated member positioned through the hollow shaft, linking said element of the sound-producing means which is over said hollow shaft with said second crank which is below said hollow shaft, whereby when the selector shaft is slid in the mentioned direction to turn the crankshaft, the sound-producing means will be swung whereby the stylus is moved off the record and upon sliding the selector shaft in the opposite direction, said soundproducing means due to its weight will fall so that the stylus shall again contact the record.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, including means to hold the selector shaft against rotary movement when the latter is slid in a direiion whereby the stylus is brought onto the record, at all positions where the stylus is at a beginning of a sound track; the stylus being capable of free movement across the record, a distance at least equal to the width of a lane on the record while the selector shaft is held against rotary movement and means urging the stylus to the beginning of the track it is on, adapted to return the stylus to the beginning of the sound track when the stylus is moved off the record.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, including an electric motor arranged to rotate the record, a circuit for said motor including a control switch therefor comprising a pair of separable contact elements normally in contact; one of said elements being carried on the soundproducing means whereby when the stylus is engaged in the finish end of a sound track, said elements are out of contact.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a movably mounted member having indicia-bearing lanes thereon; such indicia being related to the subject matter of the sound tracks respectively and means associating said member and the selector shaft whereby on rotary movement of said selector shaft, said member will move.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a disc having indicia-bearing lanes thereon; such indicia being related to the subject matter of the sound tracks respectively; said disc being mounted on the selector shaft.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a movably mounted member having indicia-bearing lanes thereon in the nature of lantern slides; such indicia being related to the matter of the sound tracks respectively, means associating said member and the selector shaft whereby upon rotary movement of said selector shaft, said member will move, magic lantern apparatus and a screen arranged whereby the indicia in one of the lanes is projected onto said screen upon actuation of said magic lantern apparatus.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,313,190 Hoyle Aug. 12, 1919 1,414,564 Gabel May 2, 1922 1,448,784 Boyle Mar. 20, 1923 1,678,568 Humphrey July 24, 1928 1,696,831 Baker Dec. 25, 1928 2,066,538 Phelps Ian. 5, 1937 2,587,433 Bentley et al Feb. 26, 1952 

